All posts by Ramesh Jha

Adding SSL to a new or existing Rails application isn’t really that difficult. If the website exists for a while and you want to move to https, then you must properly redirect (301) visitors to the new url. If it’s a new website, then it’s probably a good idea to use SSL from the start. (it’s must if you collect any kind of sensitive data from the users)

Assumptions : It’s a Rails 4 app, running with nginx, passenger and Ubuntu 14.04 Server. (preferably on VPS, or somehow you should be able to update nginx configs and so). For SSL certificate, I would recommend Comodo PositiveSSL Certificate from NameCheap @ $9 a year, unless you’ve a good reason to spend more on that.

SSL Setup

First, generate a key and then CSR for buying a SSL certificate. Enter the required info as required. Watch out for Common Name / FQDN field, it must match with the domain (in this case : example.com).

vnstat is a simple command line utility for monitoring bandwidth usage in Ubuntu or any other Linux based distributions and BSD. It’s a very handy tool for keeping an eye on overall bandwidth usage on your system, especially if you’re accessing web over mobile network or you’re using ISP that reduces speed after a certain limit e.g 50 GB (FUP).

Features

very lightweight and efficient (low cpu usage regardless of traffic)

simple and easy to use (no configuration required)

it can monitor multiple interfaces simultaneously

multiple output options (daily, monthly etc)

Installing vnstat in Ubuntu/Linux

It’s already there in official package repository, all you need to do is open a terminal and type :

sudo apt-get install vnstat

As you install vnstat, it will start monitoring your internet traffic (default interface : eth0). Simply type vnstat to get an overview of actual bandwidth usage and the estimated usage for next day or month. It will also display the interface(s) it’s monitoring.

git is a distributedopen source version control system. If you’re not already familiar with git then read some free tutorials listed here and come back after you have some basic understanding to follow through the tutorial. Whether it’s a static website or a fun project, it’s usually a good idea to use a version control system such as git. Additionally, git can also help you in deployment and make your development workflow much easier and simpler.

Step #1. Server Setup

If you’ve not already selected a VPS then get one there on Digital Ocean or Linode. Make sure you select Ubuntu (preferably : 14.04 LTS) for the server OS. Otherwise, you may need to adjust few commands depending on the Linux distribution you’re using.

Now, update the DNS settings at the registrar and create two records – one for naked domain (e.g example.com) and other for www-version of the website (e.g www.example.com) – both pointing to the server IP. And, wait for the DNS to be propagated (few minutes).

If you’re paying taxes in AY 2015-16 (FY 2014-15) you may want to get a rough estimate before you go to a tax consultant (or do it yourself). For that purpose, you may want to check out this income tax calculator I launched few days ago.

It’s a simple web based tool that helps you get an overview of your total income tax liability (or refund) for the current assessment year. The process is straightforward and simple with step-by-step guide for each sections. (especially for beginners)

First, select your age and financial year (2014-15 is selected by default) and enter your income details in 2nd step. Make sure you add all income sources correctly and also the amount of tax paid in advance (TDS, TCS etc).

Then, you can enter the amounts for eligible deductions before you get to the final report on your tax liability/refund. The deduction page helps you in the process by offering simple and easy to understand interpretation for various sections including section 80C, 80D, 80G, 80E and so. Make sure you read all the details before moving to the next.

Fish is a friendly command line shell for Ubuntu/Linux, Mac or any other operating system from the *nix family. If you use bash (the default shell in Ubuntu) often, then you may want to give it a try. It has lots of smart features you may find productive.

Features

Autosuggestions – It suggests commands when you type, based on history and it’ll often save you some time with the commands you type more often.

Scripting – Similar to bash but the syntax is much simple, clean and consistent.

term256 – it supports 256 colors.

Sane defaults – Most of the features will work just fine without any additional configurations.

Installing Fish in Ubuntu

Fish is already there in official package repository (tested on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS). So, you can install it right away

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install fish

If it’s not available in repository or you’re using other Linux distribution ? Check out official page to download a tarball for your distribution.

To start fish, simply type fish on your terminal and you’ll jump into the fish shell. Type help and it will open the documentation tab (hosted locally) in your default browser. Also read official tutorials to learn more about the features of Fish Shell.